Codex, Claude Code, and OpenCode all work in ordinary terminal panes, so almost any terminal can launch them. The difference is what happens after the agent starts: long waits, approvals, tool calls, restarts, session history, and parallel experiments.
Short checklist
Use this checklist when choosing a terminal for code agents:
| Requirement | Why it matters for agents |
|---|---|
| Native, fast rendering | Agents produce large diffs, logs, and test output. The terminal should stay responsive. |
| Strong VT support | Agent CLIs and TUIs rely on terminal protocols for screen updates, prompts, links, colors, and progress. |
| Agent state UI | You need to know whether a hidden tab is running, done, or waiting for input. |
| Notifications | Background tasks should call you back when attention is needed. |
| Multiline input | Good prompts are often more than one line. |
| Prompt queueing | You should be able to line up the next command while the agent is still busy. |
| Session history | Conversations should be searchable and resumable after the tab closes. |
| Restart recovery | A terminal restart should not destroy the shape of your workspace. |
Why Otty is built for this
Otty is designed around the reality that a modern terminal may have several agents working at once. It integrates with Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode so each agent can report state back to Otty.
Once integrated, Otty can show badges while an agent is processing, when it completes, and when it waits for approval or input. It can send system notifications, keep the Mac awake during active work, and resume supported sessions from history or recovery.
Codex, Claude Code, and OpenCode stay independent
Otty does not replace the agent. It does not change how the model thinks, how the CLI authenticates, or how your provider stores sessions. It gives the terminal enough metadata to make the session visible and recoverable.
The setup writes only the small hook or plugin needed by the agent:
| Agent | Integration path |
|---|---|
| Claude Code | ~/.claude/settings.json |
| Codex | ~/.codex/hooks.json |
| OpenCode | ~/.config/opencode/plugins/ |
When a general-purpose terminal is enough
A normal terminal is enough if you run one short agent turn at a time and watch it until it exits. For that workflow, speed, fonts, tabs, and split panes may be all you need.
Otty becomes more useful when you run multiple agents, leave tasks in the background, queue follow-up commands, resume older sessions, or expect the terminal to survive restarts cleanly.
Bottom line
For code-agent-heavy work, evaluate the terminal as a control surface, not just a text renderer. Otty's advantage is that it keeps the CLI-native workflow while adding the agent-aware layer around it.